Joker's Playground
by UnleashedZombie
Summary: When the chance to escape your own personal hell is at your fingertips, would you go for it? For Alex, all it seems to be is a innocent idea, with a fresh start at the right life. Can he keep it that way, with all the alluring, and tempting paths available to him? Rated T for cuss words and violence.


Chapter 1

The Joker's Playground

Los Santos. Looming city skyscrapers looked angelic against the dawn-glow from the sun. The Jet's passenger window gave a clear view of the sprawling.. everything. Los Santos wasn't _just_ a city. It was a joker's playground.

Inside the jet, sat a relaxed young man, maybe no older than 21. His eyes has a sharp green color, with a faded ring of gold on the edges. His hair was Sandy brown, and he wore casual clothes. A cheap leather jacket, a grey button up collar shirt, paired with fresh jeans and black skater sneakers.

He didn't look much different from you Average-Los-Santos-Joe. The passenger who sat beside him punched his arm, staring at him through a mess of tangled red hair. It looked dead and bleached multiple times to perfect the exact red.

"What the hell?" growled the guy in the leather jacket.

"It's Los Santos, Alex!" Said the red haired boy enthusiastically, punching Alex again.

"Yeah, I know Ricky." Alex said, pointing to his window, then proceeding to push Rickey back. Rickey leaned over and tried to get a look outside.

"Dude, _the chicks_. Aw man, I've been counting down the days." Rickey said, retreating back to his seat and pulling out his new iFruit phone, and proceeded with a conversation via text.

"Is that all you think about?" Alex asked, raising a eyebrow at his red headed friend. Rickey turned to Alex and flashed him a smile.

"'Chick magnet' has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" He said, smiling like a idiot. Alex laughed.

"Not for you, I think 'Pedophile' fits better." Rickey sighed, mumbling under his breath. Alex chuckled and returned his gaze back out the window.

Los Santos was definitely something he'd been wanting for months. Someone can only handle so much of a grimy city, that Alex had been stuck in for his whole life.

_Until now, _He thought, a smile playing on his lips. Freedom. From his judgmental, faking family. From the city he called home for so long. It never felt better. Goodbye Liberty City, Hello Los Santos.

As the Jet landed, Alex slung his skimpy duffle bag over his shoulder, and picked up his laptop case and carried his only two bags of luggage of the aircraft.

Alex didn't feel like a special case. He knew Rickey and him weren't the first to think of packing their bags, and flying to the opposite side of the country. He hated to admit to his family that after four years of 'these are the years you'll find what you'll want to do with yourself,' and 'these are the best school years of your life,' only to find out (with no surprise) that it was nothing they said it would be.

It was still falling asleep during 5th period, and graduating without any sense of direction. Rickey was definitely your average drop out, but not all of his ideas were senseless. Leaving felt so right. If he hadn't brought up the clever idea of flying to Los Santos and starting fresh, Alex didn't know what he would've ever done.

As they exited through the front automatic doors at the airport, a little clique of girls wearing skimpy clothes scampered by, catching Rickey's eye. He slapped Alex's chest as he came to a halt.

"Hey.. I'll catch up with you later," He said absent-mindedly, wandering off after the girls. Alex shook his head, watching Rickey calling after the group.

"Need a cab, son?" someone called out, catching Alex's attention. He turned to see a simple outdated Taxi parked on the side of the curb. The driver had a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, and his arm hung out from the open window. Alex stepped up to the cab.

"Yeah, actually that'd be great." He nodded. The driver pointed to the backseat and started up the old jalopy.

"Where to?" he asked, and Alex handed him a paper with his new address scribbled on it. The driver pulled away from the curb, entering onto the highway, adjusting his speed to the enforced 60 miles per hour.

"Where you from?" Asked the cab driver who peered back at Alex through his rear view mirror.

"Liberty City," Alex responded with a unenthusiastic tone. He proceeded to rummage through his things, making sure he didn't forget anything. The cab driver gave a short laugh, smothering his cigarette in his homemade ashtray in the dashboard.

"There are plenty more where you came from, literally." He said, taking his attention back to the road, silencing their conversation. He looked away, trying to think of something to keep him occupied for the remainder of the ride. Alex squirmed as he reached for his phone, hoping Rickey hadn't called him, pleading for help, or money. His phone had no texts or calls. Alex looked out the window, and watched the hills pass. Farther off, was the beautiful towers of the heart of the city.

It was different not being secluded to just a couple islands, with ocean creating this restriction. On the Brightside, the air in the country was less toxic and clearer. It was already a good first day. Better than last night.

Alex could still see his enraged father and disappointed mother in the back of his head, and cringed still at their reactions to his decisions.

_You are a failure. First, you can't find a career, Then you're off with your girl-hungry friend to the other side of the country. Don't come back. _

Alex remembered his father slamming his bedroom door behind him as he dramatically left the room. He mother stood a few feet away, staring at the floor. The expression on her face showed her desperation for something to say. She left the room, quietly shutting the door.

Alex didn't understand why his decision was such a letdown. Finally something new, a choice he made. Why couldn't they be happy he was getting out? Alex frowned and leaned back, deciding sleep would suffice better than flashbacks of his angered father.

He glanced over at the landscape one more time, smiling as the beaches of the coast flashed back at him. Part of him wished Rickey was in the cab with him, so he could thank the little genius for the idea.

_Next stop, the apartment. _With that final thought, Alex shut his eyes and passed out.

I do not know if i will continue with this story or not, I just wrote it simply because my excitement has my muse working.

I'd like to know if anyone would like more updates, if not, i will end up abandoning it.

Im sorry guys, my computer is burned, the motherboard is gone. I won't be writing stories for a long, long, fucking time. I'm sorry. /3


End file.
